Act fast to save big on LED light bulbs

If you love the idea of long-lasting LED bulbs but not the price, this one-day Amazon sale is for you.

LED light bulbs save money over time but cost a lot up front, unless you can find a good deal. (Photo: Vladimir Gjorgiev/Shutterstock)

If, like me, you’ve been disappointed by the CFL bulbs that don’t last the promised nine or 10 years, there's an opportunity today to try LEDs at a great price. I've had to responsibly dispose of mercury-filled (and short-lived) CFL bulbs more times than I can count, and it's made me hesitant to invest in LEDs, which have a higher price than CFLs. LEDs are supposed to pay for themselves over time — but then again, so were CFLs. I've been waiting for a great deal on LEDs, and today I found one.

Today, Amazon’s Gold Box Deal of the Day is LED light bulbs at up to 60 percent off. The bulbs all come from a company called Energetic Lighting, and the company is offering four different options.

6-pack of 40-watt equivalent non-dimmable LEDs for $22.99

6-pack of 40-watt equivalent dimmable LEDs for $29.99

6-pack of 60-watt equivalent non-dimmable LEDs for $29.99

6-pack of 60-watt equivalent dimmable LEDs for $35.99

In 2011, MNN's Matt Hickman was excited about the low price of a single $15 40-watt equivalent LED bulb. Just four years later, we now can pay under $4 a piece 40-watt equivalent bulbs. And it's not just the low cost that makes these LEDs an attractive purchase. In addition to lasting three times as long as CFLs, LEDs are less fragile, don’t release mercury if they get broken and turn on more quickly.

According to a U.S. Department of Energy study, LEDs and CFLs consume the same amount of energy in their lifetimes, but an LED lasts three times as long as a CFL. New LEDs that should be introduced later this year are expected to be even more energy-efficient.